Chikwinya faces contempt charges
WOMEN’S Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister, Nyasha Chikwinya faces Contempt of Parliament charges after she gave conflicting answers during a Question and Answer session in the National Assembly early this month.
National Assembly speaker, Advocate Jacob Mudenda made the ruling last Thursday saying Minister Chikwinya’s answers while responding to questions on staff recruitment at the yet to be launched Women’s Bank were inconsistent.
The Speaker said on March 1, Minister Chikwinya was asked by Bulawayo Representative Thokozani Khupe on the status of the Women’s Bank to which she responded saying: “. . . we now have a board in place, an acting chief executive officer. We also now have banking halls. Training of those that are going to man the bank is in progress . . .”
Added Advocate Mudenda:“When asked by Honourable (Murisi) Zwizwai how that was possible when the vacant positions in the said bank had not been advertised, the Honourable Minister stated that the board members and the chief executive officer were responsible for the recruitment and that it was not the duty of Government to do that.
“Upon further probing by Honourable (Innocent) Gonese on the process and procedure used to recruit those who were undergoing training and also how the board members were recruited, the Honourable Minister stated that, ‘they are in the process.
“If they are in the process, there are procedures that they are supposed to take . . .” he said.
Advocate Mudenda said the minister’s responses did not go down well with some parliamentarians who felt that the minister had given conflicting statements to the House and also evaded the actual question asked on how the staff being trained was recruited without following due process.
“After studying the Hansard and listening to the audio recording, it would appear that the Honourable Minister changed her initial response. Such action might be perceived as bordering on prevarication on the part of the Honourable Minister,” he said.
The Speaker said Appendix C of the Schedule to the Privileges, Immunities and Powers of Parliament Act cited prevarication as one of the offences which form contempt to Parliament.
He gave the minister an opportunity to clarify her statements or face contempt of Parliament charges.
“In light of the inconsistencies in the Honourable Minister’s response, the Chair rules that the Honourable Minister be given an opportunity to clarify her statements in a comprehensive ministerial statement, failure of which a charge of contempt of Parliament will be laid against the Honourable Minister,” he said.